Ethnography

Nip/Tuck is a television series that is watched and followed by millions of people. The show is a provocative series with scandals left and right that really shows how these characters' lives are really disturbing and not perfect at all. How does a show that does nothing but make beauty the most important factor of life become so fascinating with millions around the globe? One out of those millions of people is a friend of mine, whose name is Lindsey Braunhuber. She became interested in the show during the second season airing on television. Her older sister introduced her to the show. Her and I started to eventually watch the show together and we look forward to it every week. Nip/Tuck almost became and obsession for her. This made me question why is she so appealed to the series? What is it about the show that draws her attention into the lives of the two male doctors that do not treat women so well? Some things to consider are what Lindsey is like, who she is, and how she relates herself to the show. Lindsey is a 21 year old, who is conscious of her body, a girlfriend of a serious five-year relationship, and a future doctor.
First of all, many girls today are self-conscious of their own bodies because of the demand for woman to be beautiful, and the change of what is considered beauty in the recent years. Supermodels and celebrities are getting thinner by the minute, and girls today are really influenced by their beauty. I've known Lindsey for about three years now and I have never seen her where revealing clothes. I always thought it was because she was a tomboy, however, I learned that she is not happy with her body. She wears very loose tops with jeans. When she would go out to dinner, she would wear a tighter long sleeved shirt that never revealed any skin. This self-image might tie into her interest in Nip/Tuck because the show is about the perfection of one's body. These characters are also self-conscious and want a perfect body. A big portion of the operations is liposuction. I think that Lindsey's importance of physical appearance links to the show's importance of beauty.
Lindsey also has a serious relationship with her boyfriend, Jose, which has been continuing for five years. The hardships that they have been facing have been within the past two years, while her interest for Nip/Tuck has definitely increased. They are going through many difficulties within trust and loyalty. This is directly linked to her following the relationship and marriage between Sean and Julia on Nip/Tuck. This area of the show is definitely her favorite. Her favorite character is Sean because he is the strong person in the relationship who puts a lot of effort into fixing the problems, or at least that's what the audience sees most. Lindsey wants her own relationship with Jose to work for the better, and she truly wants to marry him to start a family in the future. He is her first love, and she realizes that is the reason why she loves him so much. The one thing she wants to see in the future episodes of Nip/Tuck is Sean and Julia's relationship and marriage to work out and continue happily. This is definitely a mimic of what she wants to see in her own relationship and what she is striving for in her future.
Right now, Lindsey is a full time student at UMBC as a Biology major to progress her major life decision to become a successful doctor. She has been studying hard with her first priority as education. She loves the medical world and has a pure interest in biology and science. Her father was a huge influence in her life because his career as a doctor helped spark her interest. She wants to continue in medical store and get her doctorate to become neonatologist, a doctor that treats newborn babies. Her future not only involves what she is interested in but also involved being successful and being able to provide for herself, husband, and children that she hopes to have one day. She sees how much her own family is able to have because of her father's income, and she wants the same for her future family as well. This is a major reason why she started to like Nip/Tuck in the first place. She likes to watch the surgical procedures that are involved within the show. The show, Nip/Tuck, also displays the way in which doctors with a high income spend their money. These doctors spend their money on necessities, like Sean paying for Julia's place while separated, but also for luxuries, like Christian buying a new Lamborghini. Lindsey has also spent her money on both, and she helps that in the future she can support herself for both. She has just recently bought a BMW 328i 2007 with her boyfriend and she definitely likes to drive it around. She also recently purchased a beautiful plasma television. All of these things are what she wants and more in the future with the income she will be making being a neonatologist.
Lindsey Braunhuber interest in Nip/Tuck is very related to her life. Her self-conscious, girlfriend, future doctor identity is definitely portrayed though out the shows plots and scandals. She might not notice it herself, but as one grasps a hand of her life and lifestyle as I did, one can see the connection that she has with the television show. Also, what she hopes for the show, she hopes for her own life. This is very similar to the article, "Gina as Steven", by John Caughey. Gina loves the character Steven Seagal portrays in his martial arts themed films. Gina's interest in his character was a reflection of her own life. She wasn't able to see it herself, however, the author was able to see the connections after viewing her life carefully.
Not only does Lindsey watch Nip/Tuck, but she also like Grey's Anatomy. Can you guess why? The medical world!
I think it's really interesting how the current shows, films, or other media sources today, are grasping onto people's lives and sparking relationships between the medium and the self.